Seattle Seahawks: Chasing History

Sep 15, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; A general view during Seattle Seahawks player introductions before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Unless your name is Snoop Dogg, you’ve been rooting for the Hawks a bit longer than just this year. And those who have been loyal to the blue and green for many a season are beginning to take notice of the well-deserved national recognition finally coming to the Northwest.  Pete Carroll’s boys have a legitimate shot at making Seahawks history — by the winning the Super Bowl.

The only Hawks team to make it that far, the 2005 squad, led the league in scoring and boasted the seventh-rated defense in the league. Led by the franchise’s all-time leading passer, Matt Hasselbeck, those Seahawks came 11 points (and a few bad calls) short of winning Super Bowl XL. That’s where I think this year’s team is different. Not since the Supersonics of the 90’s has Seattle seen a team this dominant. From top to bottom, this is arguably the most talented and deepest team in the NFL. While the ‘05 team relied heavily on the MVP season of Shaun Alexander (27 rushing TDs), this year the Hawks are known for their swarming defense. Statistically speaking (via NFL.com), the 2013 squad had a record year:

The 2013 Hawks finished first in the league in defensive points per game while the 2005 team ranked seventh.  This season, the Hawks defense had the lowest yards per game average in team history; the next best was 286.4 set in 1992. They are also the first No. 1 ranked defense in the league in franchise history. The previous best was number four, set by last year’s team.

In ’05, Seattle’s identity was its high powered offense. Although Marshawn Lynch does not have 28 touchdowns, we still have an MVP candidate in Russell Wilson and this year’s offensive effort is far from average.

Here’s a look at the comparison:

In every category other than total points, the 2013 squad was within reach of the marks set in 2005 (which are all franchise records). And while they did not quite reach those numbers, they still finished in the top ten in all of these categories except yards per game.

A few more notes:

• Russell Wilson has broken countless records but perhaps the most impressive of those are the 24 wins in his first two seasons as a QB, which broke the previous record set by Ben Roethlisberger (22).
• The Hawks finished the season with best franchise point differential at 186, the second best was set in 2005 at 181.
• The only other Seahawks team to finish 13-3 was the 2005 squad.